Pancreatic endotherapy has been used for years for treatment of several types of pancreatic disorders including but not limited to chronic pancreatitis, idiopathic acute recurrent pancreatitis, and many such others.
Normally, inside the human body the pancreas is connected to the duodenum via the pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct extends into the duodenum at the major duodenal papilla (adjacent the Ampulla of Vater of the bile duct). The pancreatic duct delivers to the duodenum pancreatic fluids required for metabolism. In various pancreatic disorders, pancreatic tissues may swell or increase abnormally thereby constricting the pancreatic duct and obstructing flow of pancreatic fluids into the duodenum. Such obstructions could lead to various complications including those arising from the accumulation of pancreatic fluids inside the pancreatic tissue or the pancreatic duct. In such cases, an endoluminal device, including a stent or other support structure may be used for treatment of the obstructed pancreatic duct. The endoluminal device provides an outwardly-directed radial force that opens the constriction of the pancreatic duct thereby allowing pancreatic fluid to flow into the duodenum.
Some examples of known devices, their manufacture, and use in treatment of various body lumens including the duodenum and pancreatic duct are shown and described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,679,470; 5,709,703; 5,800,511; 6,283,992; 6,379,392; 6,533,810; 6,592,549; 6,723,071; 6,726,712; 6,818,015; 7,011,675; 7,172,617; 7,311,031; and 7,462,192. The entire contents of each of these patents being incorporated herein by reference.
Procedures utilizing stents within the pancreatic duct have been performed for several years. Experience has shown that in some cases the pancreatic duct suffers irritation, inflammation, or other complications as a result of the stent's advancement through the duct. A need therefore exists to provide an endoluminal device for use in the pancreatic duct that minimizes or eliminates irritation to the duct tissue during advancement and/or deployment of the device. In some embodiments of the present disclosure a stent is provided with a “soft” distal end or tip which minimizes the forces acting on the pancreatic duct as the endoluminal device is advanced therethrough in order to minimize or eliminate irritation to the duct.
Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is provided below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention can be found in the detailed description of the invention.
All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.